The best places to try are in China town. There are a number of stores that happen to be in the basements of buildings with huge tea selections, most in Chinese. There are a few people who speak English and they are sort of helpful. If you can find a reasonably good English speaker, ask them if there is a tea store - it's been a while since I lived near there. We got some interesting stuff, but I have no idea what any of the names were. Good luck and have fun, MA

I would like to know this too, as I live near Philadelphia and go there regularly. Do you have any specific stores? I know of a few.

On Race St., south side of the street, right east of 11th st, there is an underground Asian Supermarket (it's listed on google maps too)...small entrance, easy to miss...the market is underneath a parking garage. This store has a huge selection of teas. They carry Ten Ren and Van Cheong's loose teas, as well as a large number of other brands, many of which are not even labeled in English. This store doesn't carry many Pu-erh's though. It has a better selection of Oolongs.

Same general area, across the street (north side), in a storefront on the first floor, is another smaller supermarket with a totally different selection of loose teas. They sell Foojoy loose teas, which can be hard to find and are of surprisingly good value and quality. I've had mixed experiences with the other teas I've bought from this store, however...I don't think they're as selective about what they stock, even though their selection is smaller. But maybe I just got unlucky or didn't know what to buy?

I haven't found a good place to buy Pu-erh's though! I would be very grateful if anyone had any other places they knew about!

The place I've been to is on the right as you face the Chinese arch/ gate looking north and then go north a little bit. If you go a block, you missed it. It is underground and has a huge selection, but folks there don't speak much English. I thought the prices were decent. I don't remember any loose ones. Really glad to hear about the loose Foojoy.

I checked exhaustively on the block from the arch, going north, on the east side of the street. I can't find a single store that is underground or set back from the street...it's constant storefronts right on the street, and none of the stores seem to sell any tea.

Is there some mistake in these directions? Or is it possible it has moved (seems unlikely as I saw NO underground entrances). Or do you need to go inside another business to find this place, or is there something I'm missing?

The best place for loose tea in Philadelphia is House of Tea, at 720 S 4th Street (4th & Monroe). The owner is extremely knowledgeable and runs a tight ship - if the product nearing expiration, she throws it out. Nothing but top quality here.